Who Was Bruce McCandless II? First Person to Spacewalk Untethered in Space

New Delhi: Space exploration has always had its fair share of risks and dangers, never been a child's play. There has been very few moments in NASA’s history that have been as nail-biting as when astronauts flew untethered in the dark abyss of space. One such moment occurred in 1984 when NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless II became the first human to float free from any earthly anchor when he stepped out of the space shuttle Challenger and flew away from the spacecraft without a safety tether linked to it.

On March 26, 2025, an Instagram account claimed a photo showed an astronaut performing the first spacewalk without a safety tether linked to a spacecraft.

"Astronaut Bruce McCandless II became the first human being to do a spacewalk without a safety tether linked to a spacecraft. In 1984, he floated completely untethered in space with nothing but his Manned Maneuvering Unit keeping him alive." the caption read.

The Instagram account added that it showed Bruce McCandless II floating “It may have been a small step for Neil,” he said, “but it’s a heck of a big leap for me.”

The claim was accurate: McCandless was the first astronaut to perform an untethered spacewalk on February 7, 1984. The iconic image was taken during the STS-41B shuttle mission, where both Bruce McCandless II and Robert L. Stewart carried out the first untethered spacewalks using the manned maneuvering unit.

In a striking NASA image from that mission, an untethered McCandless floats 320 feet from the Challenger, suspended above Earth’s vibrant blue surface, exuding both strength and vulnerability against the infinite expanse of space.

Bruce McCandless II: Astronaut Who Walked on Space Without Safety Tether

McCandless, who passed away on December 21, 2017, had a remarkable career with NASA. Before his historic spacewalks, he played a pivotal role as a mission control communicator during the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing. This experience, however, left him famously grumpy with Neil Armstrong for not revealing what he planned to say when stepping onto the moon. Despite this, McCandless went on to assist in deploying the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit from the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1990, further solidifying his place in space history.

However, McCandless is perhaps best remembered for his groundbreaking spacewalks. These memorable moments took place during his very first spaceflight. He was tasked with testing the 300-pound Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), a nitrogen-powered jetpack that allowed astronauts to navigate through space, much like George Clooney’s character in Gravity. While it may have seemed like a dream come true, the risks were high, and a malfunction could have been disastrous.

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As McCandless ventured out into space, he decided to lighten the mood with a clever inside joke for mission control in Houston. "I think I can assert that my comment—that it may have been one small step for Neil, but it’s one heckuva of a big leap for me—was a) consciously thought out, b) a form of revenge for Neil not sharing his thoughts on stepping on the moon with me, and c) a way to say that things are going OK, don’t worry about it," McCandless recalled. "It set the right tone, and on we went."

This playful remark was more than just a joke—it was a reassurance that despite the risks, everything was proceeding as planned. McCandless's spacewalk, immortalized by a famous photograph, would go down in history as a testament to both his humor and courage in the face of the vast unknown.